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FENCE POST.

No. 802,910. Patented Aug. 5, 1884.

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NrrE rarns EDWARD HOLMES AND BRITAIN HOLMES, OF BUFFALO, NEWV YORK.

FENCE-POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 302,910, dated August 5, 1884:.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDWARD HOLMES and BRITAIN HoLMEs, citizens of the United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invent-ed certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Posts, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of our invention is to provide a cheap and durable fence-post of light weight, its construction being such that a smaller post can be used, thereby rendering it fitter to be treated in any of the well-known ways for preserving timber. Moreover, in conse quence of its being smaller,a better quality of wood may be nsedsuch as red cedar or other durable wood-as will be fully and clearly hereinafter shown by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a fence=post complete made according to our invention, showing the wooden post in place within the base Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing a detached View of a suitable base or support preferably of barbed clay; but it may be made of any other suitable material, such as cement, concrete, or other suitable material sufficicntly'strong and durable for the purpose. It is constructed in the form of a tube, a", having a flange or base, a forming a part of the same. The tubular portion is provided with slots or openings a a one on each side, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3-to allow for the eX- pansion or warping of the wooden portion of the post, and to allow for slight differences in the size of the post. This arrangement would divide the tube a into two parts, c. The

object of the base or flange (t is to provide the means for more securely holding the postholder in the ground after the earth has been firmly packed around it.

It will be readily seen that when the base is in the ground the flange a will hold it down more securely in position. Furthermore, it secures and holds the bottom of the parts 0 0 together, but allows the upper portions to separate or come together sufficiently to receive posts of slightly-varying diameter.

The tubular portion a may be round or of any other suitable form in cross-section. The post a is securely fastened in place within the tube by being fitted closely, or in any wellknown way.

A fence-post prepared in this way is more durable, as the lower end of the wooden portion does not come in contact with the ground.

I It will be seen from this construction that in the base a the slots (1* a extend down to the flange a", and that as the thickness of the flange a is only about one-twentieth of the length of the base, if the sides of the openings a a are sprung apart or toward each other, as shown in Fig. 1, about one-eighth of an inch, (more or less,) the springing of the flange a" will only be about onetwentieth of an eighth, which will be but little, and'in this way posts of slightly-varying diameter may be put into the base, and when the earth is packed close-l y around it, the sides of the base will spring slightly, and be forced close to the post, and thereby hold it firmly in place.

Vte claim as our invention- A fence-post consisting of the wooden por tion a, provided with a base, a having openings a* a throughthe sides,and p rovided at the lower ends with a flange, a forming a part of the base of, for holding the parts 0 0 together, and leaving a projection around the bottom of the base, substantially as and for the purposes specified. I

EDWARD HOLMES. BRITAIN HOLMES. lVitnesses:

J. M. CALDWELL, JAMEs SANGSTER, 

